Screaming Demon Question

[WaR HeaD]

Hi dudes, how are you doing? happy 2006!

i have a little question about that pup, after reading about it i´ve seen that the web specs shows the pup as a moderate output pup while the pdf (the specs list) show it as a high output pup, so, which one is wrong?

also, i´ve asked the tone wizard tool for a 2 hum, mahogany body, rosewood board, floyd equiped axe, and it show me 2 options, dime/59' and screaming demon/Jazz... the first one is a little extreme ain´t it? and, if the screaming demon is a moderate output pup, which set would you recommend me for metal
then? (high output bridge pup)

the axe is an ibanez 3120F, to play with a marshall dsl50...

thanks a lot

 

[fusion101]

Re: Screaming Demon Question

Neither, the demon sucks and the dime is not a personal favorite. Either a jazz/custom,jazz/distortion, or distortion/distortion

 

[MikeS]

Re: Screaming Demon Question

The Demon is a very well voiced, very articulate pickup that retains a lot of clarity even under high gain, and most definitely does not suck. What most metal heads dislike about the Demon is that the "paper" output isn't high enough for their liking. I don't remember exactly what mine measured, but it was just over 10k on the voltmeter. Output is your call, because where I don't like huge amounts of distortion, you might... I dunno.

I'm currently using a Demon/Jazz set in my Les Paul (apples and oranges to am Ibanez, I know). Despite the opinions of many others, I really like the bright and articulate Demon in a fatter, fuller guitar. The two seem to synthesize quite nicely.

 

[Dave Z]

Re: Screaming Demon Question

I think a demon in a Floyd is going to have a very bright top end, possibly more than you want. The rosewood F/B is going to tame it a bit but I have tried demons twice in a all mahogany setneck and it was too bright...but then I play clean a lot. If you are into a lot of gain & tone shaping in the amp then it might be fine, but plug into a Fender reverb amp and you'll have to turn the tone down to 1...

As for metal, I'd second fusion's choice of a Custom in the bridge.

 

[ranalli]

Re: Screaming Demon Question

Neither, the demon sucks and the dime is not a personal favorite. Either a jazz/custom,jazz/distortion, or distortion/distortion

The Demon sure as heck doesn't suck. It was great in my Superstrat.

It's just not high output that's all....it's a uniquely voice medium output pickup that has kind of a hi-fi PAF'ish type tone.


And bright pickups work with floyds.....it's the fingerboard woods, neck and body woods that really influence the tone as well.

For high output go Distortion, Custom, JB, Invader....

 

[aldu74]

Re: Screaming Demon Question

Neither, the demon sucks and the dime is not a personal favorite. Either a jazz/custom,jazz/distortion, or distortion/distortion

Bro, if you're going to bash a manufacturer's product like that (and on their own board, mind you) the least you could do is explain what in your opinion is wrong about the pickup.

Peace.

 

[Vasshu the humanoid typhoon]

Re: Screaming Demon Question

The Demon sucks??
I love mine in my Wolfgang, clear and fat.

 

[fab.regnaut]

Re: Screaming Demon Question

For me Jazz+Demon is all i need but it is for people who like nervous music , if you like heavy mushy noise without articulation , and to hide your bad playing behind , then forget the Demon ... :6:

 

[Dirtyking]

Re: Screaming Demon Question

if you like heavy mushy noise without articulation , and to hide your bad playing behind , then forget the Demon ... :6:

This is so true. The Demon is a very tight pup. But its a very hit and miss sort of pup thats picky about what guitar you put it in..

 

[hamerfan]

Re: Screaming Demon Question

As far as i have read about it, it should be possible to tame the Demon by using standard screw instead of the allens.

 

[fab.regnaut]

Re: Screaming Demon Question

Yes this will tame it but a major change is to put an alnico8 mag in it , then it is a pickup like you never dreamed about ( see my post about Demon 8 ) ...

 

[Dave Z]

Re: Screaming Demon Question

As far as i have read about it, it should be possible to tame the Demon by using standard screw instead of the allens.

I'm not buyin it - tried it with a Fred (similar PU) no appreciable change. YMMV.

 

[BloodRose]

Re: Screaming Demon Question

Ive always been curious about a Demon. How does it compare to a C5 or Blues? (im familiar with those) Thanks

 

[Dave Z]

Re: Screaming Demon Question

I tried a Demon & a C5 in my epi SG - a very resonant but somewhat dark guitar. Mahogany & rosewood.

The demon, man I could not get the toppiness tamed - this through a Hot Rod Deluxe - Fenders being pretty bright...drove me nuts. Tried using tone on the guitar but by the time I tamed the highs I had a very dull signal - not enough mids to keep a good tone with tone rolled down (Fred is better at that IMHO, if you want a similar pickup Fred is the way to go - tried a Fred in the SG & it was great).

In some amps - higain with a lot of compression - I think the demon would be great - saw a Lynch video recently & now I understand his tone, TOTALLY compressed & squished I understand how the Demon works for him - me I was lookin for a beefed-up PAF sound for blues - not happenin! Tried it a year before that with a Princeton blackface - similar problem. Done with Demons!!

The C5 (new, nickel covered from Black Rose customs) was the opposite problem - same guitar, same amp (HRD), sounded dull & lifeless. I could not get any PAF chime outta the C5. Lots of mids, very "Arrrr" sound, like a cartoon Pirate! Which is wierd as the common complaint here is the C5 being too shrill. I wonder if Duncan screwed up on that pickup?? Maybe they shipped Black Rose a CC? Using a CC in a very bright guitar now, has more chime than I remember from that C5, so I would expect a C5 to have a nice top end chime, and you can hear the edginess under OD in Milan's clip (CC vs C5 poll in Tips & Clips)

 

[Metalblaze]

Re: Screaming Demon Question

I personally have the demon in my esp ltd mh-400 mahogany/maple top body, maple/rosewood neck. I tried it right through a mesa boogie dual rectifier and it was KILLER. Absolutely nothing between them. The guy from the shop started asking me about my guitar and the bridge pickup that I have.
The sound was very tight and crunchy with lots of harmonics. You know a mean midrange metallic snarl and the like. I also put the 59 in my Ibanez rg270dx and liked it a lot, very crunchy but without that hi-fi metallic character of the demon. The demon stay at the top for me.

 

[Lake Placid Blues]

Re: Screaming Demon Question

Getting back to the some possible reasons why the Wizard may have recomended those two pickups; metal requires tight articulate lows, as well as midrange thickness. A rosewood board and a mohogony body would normally work against tight articulate lows. A pickup can sound so diffrent from guitar to guitar though, even when using similar woods.

Many years ago I tryed a Fred in a basswood/maple topped guitar with a maple/maple neck and it was too toppy. In a basswood guitar with a rosewood fret board it wasn't too bright. In a mohogony body guitar with a rosewood fret board it wasn't too bright either.

 

[hareek]

Re: Screaming Demon Question

i personally havn't used the screamin demon, but from what i listened to in the audio samples, it didn't sound that nice to me. No low end and a lot of high. someone at sam ash told me that it depends on what amp your using. he said through my marshall, it will sound terrible and to go with a differen't pup. From talking to people, if your amp isn't all that great, it might be a good choice to get you a good metal sound. But if you have a really nice amp, you might want to consider other options.

 

[BloodRose]

Re: Screaming Demon Question

I tried a Demon & a C5 in my epi SG - a very resonant but somewhat dark guitar. Mahogany & rosewood.

The demon, man I could not get the toppiness tamed - this through a Hot Rod Deluxe - Fenders being pretty bright...drove me nuts. Tried using tone on the guitar but by the time I tamed the highs I had a very dull signal - not enough mids to keep a good tone with tone rolled down (Fred is better at that IMHO, if you want a similar pickup Fred is the way to go - tried a Fred in the SG & it was great).

In some amps - higain with a lot of compression - I think the demon would be great - saw a Lynch video recently & now I understand his tone, TOTALLY compressed & squished I understand how the Demon works for him - me I was lookin for a beefed-up PAF sound for blues - not happenin! Tried it a year before that with a Princeton blackface - similar problem. Done with Demons!!

The C5 (new, nickel covered from Black Rose customs) was the opposite problem - same guitar, same amp (HRD), sounded dull & lifeless. I could not get any PAF chime outta the C5. Lots of mids, very "Arrrr" sound, like a cartoon Pirate! Which is wierd as the common complaint here is the C5 being too shrill. I wonder if Duncan screwed up on that pickup?? Maybe they shipped Black Rose a CC? Using a CC in a very bright guitar now, has more chime than I remember from that C5, so I would expect a C5 to have a nice top end chime, and you can hear the edginess under OD in Milan's clip (CC vs C5 poll in Tips & Clips)

Perhaps you cross your wires?? Did you wire it the same as your dimarzio? If so, they use a diff wiring pattern.. I thought colors were universal so when I removed my tone zone long ago and put in my first C5, I put the wires in the sme color pattern and it sounded as you describe. I rewired and found an angelic voice.. I find the c5 to have a nice full tone,

 

[gripweed]

Re: Screaming Demon Question

Has anyone popped an a2 magnet in the Demon to try and tame the highs?

 

[STRATDELUXER97]

Re: Screaming Demon Question

I won't go as far as saying the SD sucks,but it is a toppy pickup,tight,but it lacked the lows I needed...I did the allen screw to STD screws on mine and it did tame the highs a bit....I pulled this and went back to the better Fred pickup in my black strat..